Chicago Lawyer Accuses Her Firm of Gender Discrimination

August 16, 2016

A lawyer in the Chicago office of Sedgwick has sued the firm for gender discrimination, unequal pay, and retaliation.

The insurance lawyer alleged in a lawsuit filed in California that female attorneys “cannot crack the glass ceiling of equity partnership at Sedgwick.”

The San Francisco-based firm has more than 300 lawyers, 26 of whom are in Chicago, and last year booked $183.0 million in revenue. In the suit, the woman described being publicly singled out in a meeting by a powerful partner who recommended lowering her pay because she “needed to learn to behave.”

“Sedgwick’s male-dominated culture systematically excludes women from positions of power within the firm, which in turn leads to lower compensation for female attorneys than male attorneys,” the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit says the firm retaliated against the woman after she filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in February, seeking to force the dispute into private arbitration.

The firm is “confident there has been no discrimination or retaliation in the partner compensation process or otherwise, and we will defend the firm against these baseless allegations.”

This woman is not the first to accuse a firm of discrimination. In January, a former partner at LeClairRyan sued in Virginia, alleging unequal pay and retaliation. In 2013, Greenberg Traurig settled a class action brought by female attorneys.

Gender Pay Gap: A Persistent Form of Discrimination—How Our Florida Discrimination Lawyers Can Help

While this case is in California, our Florida Discrimination Lawyers at Whittel & Melton know that unequal pay is a widespread problem affecting women nationwide.

A recent Bureau of Labor Statistics compilation shows that women face unequal pay in most industries. An average for all full-time and salaried workers shows that the median weekly wages for men are $895 and $726 for women.

Marketing and sales managers: men earn $1,603, while women earn $1,258. For human resource workers: men – $1,158, women – $984. For personal financial advisers: men – $1,738, women – $1,033. Sadly, the gender pay gap is reportedly worse for mothers and older working women.

Wage inequality is discrimination, and our Florida Discrimination Lawyers at Whittel & Melton have the legal knowledge to protect victims of gender discrimination.

If you believe you have been the victim of gender discrimination in Florida, let us help. Call us today at 866-608-5529 for a free consultation.